China Plans $90 Billion Cut in VAT for Manufacturers
(Bloomberg) -- China is planning to cut the value-added tax rate that covers the manufacturing sector by 3 percentage points as part of measures to support the slowing economy, a person familiar with the matter said.
The reduction in the highest of the nation's three VAT brackets could be announced as soon as this week, when political leaders are gathering in Beijing for the annual National People's Congress, the person said, who declined to be named as the matter isn't public.
Premier Li Keqiang is due to deliver his annual report on economic policy on Tuesday, a detailed document that sets targets for gross domestic product expansion as well as objectives for fiscal and monetary policy. A 3 percentage-point cut to VAT could deliver a boost worth up to 600 billion yuan ($90 billion) or 0.6 percent of GDP, according to estimates by Morgan Stanley.
The move helps corporate profits at a time when the economy is facing pressure from the U.S. trade standoff and the impact of a domestic debt cleanup. Officials have increasingly turned to tax policy in their efforts to support growth, as debt-fueled spending and monetary policy become increasingly constrained.
Click here for a Bloomberg Economics preview of the Work Report policies
The tax cut is also part of broader, more “proactive” fiscal support. The budget deficit target is said to be widened to 2.8 percent of GDP from 2.6 percent in 2018, and the quota for special bonds is said to be set to 2.15 trillion yuan, a significant rise from 1.35 trillion yuan in 2018.
The Finance Ministry didn't respond to faxed request for comment on the VAT reduction plans.
“The government appears to want to keep the official budget deficit under 3 percent of gross domestic product, which limits the room for a more aggressive tax cut,” said Ding Shuang, chief Greater China & North Asia economist at Standard Chartered Bank Ltd in Hong Kong in an e-mail.
To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: John Liu in Beijing at jliu42@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeffrey Black at jblack25@bloomberg.net, Sharon Chen
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
With assistance from Bloomberg
-
Talking Points This Week: Tech Nerves, FII Buying, And A Faraway Banking Shock
The global markets are not shining this Diwali. The exception in the large markets is, India.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
-
Indians Are Travelling, But Not Every Journey Is A Holiday | The Week In Whys
Pilgrims, patients and working women are the real travellers, and the system hasn't quite caught up with them.
-
Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
-
AI Bias In Investing Cannot Be Eliminated, But It Can Be Governed
Framing is a particularly important example as identical financial information presented in terms of gains rather than losses can lead an LLM to reach a different assessment.
